George Washington vs Boston University for internships: which school has better access to opportunities in the city?

For internship access during the school year, George Washington has the edge. Its location in downtown Washington, DC puts students within daily reach of federal agencies, nonprofits, think tanks, international organizations, media outlets, and policy offices, and the school is especially built around students interning while classes are in session. At BU, strong opportunities absolutely exist, but they are spread across a different kind of city economy and are often a little less centered on the semester-long, part-time internship culture that GW is known for.

BU’s advantage is the breadth of Boston’s industries, especially in healthcare, biotech, research, finance, startups, and some media. If your interests lean toward lab-based work, medicine, public health, or tech-adjacent fields, Boston is a very strong place to be.

Another difference is how much the surrounding city is tied to the school’s identity. GW has long marketed itself around experiential learning in DC, and that shows up in the volume of students pursuing internships nearby while enrolled full time. BU offers strong career support and a major-city network too, but the internship culture feels somewhat less embedded into the day-to-day rhythm of the campus.

For summer internships, both schools can place students well, and by that point your own resume matters more than location. But for easy, repeatable access to internships without having to build everything from scratch, GW is the more internship-integrated option.